Federal judge keeps Maricopa County sheriff under racial-bias oversight

U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow rejected Maricopa County’s bid to terminate the federal monitor overseeing the sheriff’s office, which was imposed after a 2013 finding of racial profiling against Latino drivers. Snow observed that the department’s compliance with the four permanent injunctions ranges from 68% to 84%, well below the 94% threshold needed for release. Recent data still show Hispanic drivers are stopped, arrested and searched at significantly higher rates than white drivers, and the county has not provided a convincing explanation for these gaps.

The judge also noted that the county’s attempts to interfere with disciplinary actions echo past obstruction by former Sheriff Joe Arpaio. While traffic-stop reports have improved and the investigation backlog has fallen from 2,000 to under 300 cases, the court said the county must sustain compliance for three consecutive years before the orders can be lifted.